A K'ZAYIS OF MATZAH

A K'zayis of Matzah

What follows is a discussion
among Jewish list-members concerning the allowability of eating a small
amount of Matzo at Passover. In the spirit
of the great Rabbinical debates, I've included it verbatim for those who
are interested in such things.

> I wanted to add the concept of Pikuach Nefesh in the Jewish Religion, which
> generally refers to saving
a life or, more literally, saving a soul.

Yes, the Hebrew word "nefesh" is usually translated into English as "soul" -
however its meaning is closer to the essence of life, or the state
of
being alive, i.e. the intangible "life force" residing within
the body
which keeps the physical cells, organs, and systems functioning and the
individual alive.

> Pikuach Nefesh is from
Leviticus: "You shall not stand idly by the blood of your
> neighbor" (Lev.
19:16). This verse essentially states that the paramount value of
>
human life and health is a cardinal principle of Jewish law.

...I concur with you
on the "life" part; the "health" part,
however, warrants further clarification...

> Basically, in cases of
illness, anything that would knowingly endanger life or health
> allows
one to break the law. That would include eating Matzoh on Passover.

...Not necessarily...
Pikuach Nefesh refers specifically to saving a
*life*: a clear-cut "life or death" scenario. Safeguarding
one's *health*,
however, falls more appropriately under the precept of "V'nishmartem
me'od
l'nafshoseichem" (Deuteronomy 4:15) - which is also an extremely
important
precept in Judaism, but which, in practice, is not always on the
same
level as Pikuach Nefesh. While Pikuach Nefesh automatically overrides
every other commandment (with three very specific exceptions),
V'nishmartem also overrides other commandments, but under somewhat
more
limited circumstances - specifically, with respect to whether the
commandment in question is of Biblical (d'oraysa) or Rabbinic (d'rabbanan)
origin.

> Some examples are taking
an ambulance (or even just driving) to get to a hospital or
> doctor
for medical necessity on the Sabbath; telephoning for medical help
on the
>
Sabbath; not circumcising an infant with hemophelia; eating
rather than fasting on
>
Yom Kippur if one is diabetic.

Yes, you've provided
some excellent examples in which commandments (Biblical or Rabbinic)
must be overridden due to Pikuach Nefesh (immediate
danger to life), or Rabbinic commandments must be overridden due
to
V'nishmartem (safeguarding health).

> So, if you know that
Matzoh will make you ill, you should not be obligated to eat it on
>
Passover. Check it out with your Rabbi, who should be very familiar
with Pikuach
> Nefesh.

The precept of consuming a
k'zayis (the minimum required quantity,
literally "like [the volume of] an olive") of matzah on the first
night of
Passover is of Biblical origin. Since - for most of us - it
is highly
doubtful whether doing so would place us in immediate danger
of dying (not
merely setting back our healing, but actually dying), most
halachic
(Jewish legal) authorities would determine that this would
not be a case
of Pikuach Nefesh, and the matzah would remain an obligation.
Of course,
each individual case is unique, with its own set of circumstances.
Therefore, it's important not to make an assumption, but
to
consult a
competent halachic authority who will carefully consider every
facet of the question, and make a specific determination
on a case-by-case basis
(in consultation with health-care professionals) - as you've
so wisely
recommended.

Symee writes:
> Since Elaine said that it's OK, I'm not sure why you could consider it a
situation of
> Piku'ach Nefesh. (someone being in immediate danger of dying).

Right. Three years ago, shortly
before my very first Passover as an SCDer (some 7-8 months after I'd
started the diet), I faxed Elaine a long query
detailing my matzah dilemma (Remember, Elaine?), and she told me to relax
and not to worry about having to eat that little bit of matzah. Believe
me, if Elaine believed for even one second that I would drop dead
from
eating it (G-d forbid), she would have urged me to skip the matzah!

Elaine writes:
> When I say that someone who is on the SCD and is faced with...having a small
piece > of matzoh on Passover, taking this will not put them in the position
of
dying but it
> MIGHT set them back. Let the Rabbies...decide if the person should
take these
>
steps. And, for Goodness Sakes, let the person assume some responsibility
and not
>
be filled with fear that a Merciful God will punish them for any infringement
of the law.

Well, as Joan has already explained so beautifully, when immediate danger
to life compels one to infringe the Law, it's actually not an infringement
at all; the Law *itself* demands it. That the Law was designed this way in
the first place is but one attribute of a truly merciful G-d indeed. That
we have Elaine and the SCD - to help both safeguard our health *and* save
our lives - is yet another manifestation of G-d's mercy. :-)

> Fear, fear, fear! That
is what causes us all not to demand that we be given
>
humanistric treatment
by a medical system, that is what causes us do to amoral
> things to
keep our jobs, that is what keeps an intelligent medical practitioner
from
>
using SCD as an adjunct to medical practice!!!!

Please, let's not confuse
fear-driven consumer ignorance/apathy, medical mediocrity, professional
duplicity, and intellectual dishonesty, with the
strivings of sincere religious people - of all faiths - who are seeking
to
infuse some spirituality into their lives...even at the cost of "being
different" and having to "swim upstream" against the
tides of apathy,
duplicity, and dishonesty that permeate the world around
us - the two
could not be more different! When it comes to good people
who care about
making a difference...people like you, Elaine, and like
all our friends
here on this list, regardless of what we believe in (or
even whether or
not we believe at all) that which unites us is so much
greater than
whatever inconsequential little differences we may have.

Through the (SCD) Specific Carbohydrate Diet, explained in this book, our son was able to get off medication and thrive. He healed himself and was able to go away to college. Last month he had a relapse, had surgery and by going back on the diet he was able to put himself in remission. The doctors are amazed with his latest tests and told him he did not need medication, but he must stick to the diet. I have bought over a dozen of these books and shared them with doctors, family members, and friends. I strongly recommend this book for any IBD/IBS issues.

Information published on this Web site is intended to support the book Breaking The Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall and is for information purposes only. It is not the intention of this site
to diagnose, prescribe, or replace medical care. Your doctor or nutrition expert
should be consulted before undertaking a change of diet.